Tray space saver

ABSTRACT

A serving tray for reducing planar space requirements including a first planar tray portion which has a carrying surface with a planar dimension that is sufficient to support at least a portion of a large planar-shaped comestible. The tray also includes at least a second planar tray portion which has a carrying surface with a planar dimension that is sufficient to support a second portion of the large planar shaped comestible. To connect the planar trays there is a connecting member which fixes the first tray portion and the second tray portion at different planes with respect to each other in a vertically overlapping relationship. As a result, this tray can stably rest on a surface that occupies less area than that which would be required by the comestible when served whole.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit and priority of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/094,687, entitled “Tray Space Saver”, filed on Sep. 5, 2008, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the art of serving food, and in particular, to the use of serving trays to minimize dining table space requirements.

In view of the desire to provide a pleasant dining experience with adequate table space for diners, individuals often seek ways to serve food while occupying as little table area as possible. The problem of adequate table space is particularly relevant in establishments which serve pizza. Generally a table of patrons will order a pizza sufficiently large enough to serve all of the individuals at the table, which will necessitate a large pizza, for example, a pie of 16 inches in diameter. A pizza of this size can take up a significant amount of table space if served on a traditional tray that requires table top space which accommodates the entire area of the pizza.

Moreover, an establishment that serves food generally attempts to serve the maximum amount of diners. Consequently, minimal table space is preferred. To ensure that diners enjoy their dining experience while sharing a large pizza, a need exists to maximize use of table top space so that the establishment can serve the maximum number of clients.

It has been known in the prior art to provide serving trays which include a stand to elevate a serving surface above the table-top surface. An example of such a device can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,227,467. Other devices have been known to have multiple levels of trays vertically spaced apart about an axis, upon which food can be served. Such devices can be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,951,079 and 5,894,944.

However, all of the aforesaid devices fail to preserve the overall silhouette of a single large comestible. In the case of, for example, large pizzas it is preferred to preserve the size of the original pie so that diners enjoy slices based on the size and shape “as cooked.” To this end the present invention has as its objective to create a means for serving large comestibles while occupying a minimum amount of space.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a serving tray for reducing planar space requirements including a first planar tray portion having a carrying surface with a planar dimension that is sufficient to support at least a portion of a large planar-shaped comestible. The tray also includes at least a second planar tray portion having a carrying surface with a planar dimension that is sufficient to support a second portion of the large planar shaped comestible. To connect the planar trays there is a connecting member which fixes the first tray portion and the second tray portion at different planes with respect to each other in a vertically overlapping relationship. As a result, this tray can stably rest on a surface that occupies less area than that which would be required by the comestible when served whole.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention the planar trays are semicircular having a circumference with an arc subtended by a straight edge. The straight edge of each tray contains a lip. The planar trays are fixed at a distance parallel to each other by means of a connecting shaft, which is a vertically positioned rod secured through openings in the planar trays. The openings on the planar trays are preferably located at a distance, e.g. 2 inches, from the straight edge of the planar trays sufficient to result in a vertically overlapping relationship of the planar trays.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention the planar trays are fixed at a distance parallel to each other by a substantially continuous connector. The substantially continuous connector is designed on an angle, resulting in a vertically overlapping relationship of the planar trays. Said connector contains a carrying opening large enough to fit a human hand for the purpose of carrying the serving tray.

The present invention provides a novel tray space saver that provides a more pleasant, spacious dining experience for patrons at dining establishments. Normally, when a table orders a large comestible, such as a pizza, the comestible is placed on a serving tray which sits directly on the table top and occupies a large majority of that table top. This situation can prove to be frustrating and unpleasant for diners who desire their own personal space to eat their meal. The present invention provides a simple solution to this problem by elevating a portion of the large comestible into a vertically overlapping relationship with the other portion of the comestible. This provides the diners with the extra space they desire. Other advantages of the tray space saver are its simplistic design and easy transportability. The tray is designed to provide carrying devices to make the transportation from a place like the kitchen to the dining room very convenient and reliable.

For a better understanding of the present invention, together with other and further objects, reference is made to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and its scope will be pointed out in the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments of the invention have been chosen for purposes of illustration and description and are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the multi-tiered space saving serving tray of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional side view of the present invention as shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional front view of the present invention as shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of an alternate embodiment of a multi-tiered space saving serving tray;

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional side view of the alternate embodiment as shown in FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings in detail, there is illustrated a multi-tiered space saving serving tray 10 constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention. In a preferred embodiment, tray 10 includes an upper and a lower tray 11 and 12, respectively, and a connecting shaft 13 connecting the upper tray to the lower tray in a vertically spaced relationship. The multi-tiered space saving serving tray can be manufactured from a variety of materials, including metals such as steel, aluminum, etc. Also, the serving tray can be made of wood or plastic or any other suitable material. In the preferred embodiment the multi-tiered serving tray is made of stainless steel.

As shown in FIGS. 1-4, one form of the novel multi-tiered space saving serving tray 10 of the present invention includes two trays 11 and 12 of a semi-circular configuration of sufficient diameter to hold a large comestible, for example a 16″ pizza. The trays are formed with openings 30 and 31 with smooth inner surfaces in order to connect trays 11 and 12 using connecting shaft 13. The connecting shaft 13 is made of two shaft components 34 and 35, joined at connection 39, which is the desired distance from the table top of upper tray 11. Top shaft 34 has threaded tips 22 and 23 on its opposite ends, respectively, of the shaft with diameters smaller than that of the shaft body. Tip 22 is threaded on the outer surface to threadably receive ball knob 14 and hold it in place. The ball knob 14 is of a spherical configuration and has an open bottom end with a threaded inner surface to which fits upper tip 22. Ball knob 14 can be used as a carrying device in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, but could be different shapes such as a handle, etc.

Tip 23 has a threaded outer surface to fit tightly into bottom shaft 35 which has open ends 24 and 25 with threaded inner surfaces. Tips 22 and 23 are of a lesser diameter than the body of the shaft in order to keep the top tray 11 in place at whatever height is desired for the top tray. Tip 23 of top shaft 34 threads cooperatively into top open end 24 of bottom shaft 35. Bottom shaft 35 passes through opening 31 and is secured to bottom tray 12 with the use of a screw through hollow open end 25 of bottom shaft 35. Openings 30 and 31 have diameters larger than the diameters of the tips 22 and 23 of the upper shaft and open ends, and 24 and 25 of the bottom shaft, but smaller than the diameters of the bodies 34 and 35 of the shafts in order to hold trays 11 and 12 in place at the desired heights. Tips 22 and 23, and/or openings 30 and 31 are designed to prevent rotation of the tray in relation to the shaft.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view and depicts the desired overlapping effect of the serving tray. Ball knob 14 is on the top of connecting shaft 13, which extends vertically down through top tray 11 to the bottom tray 12. Openings 30 and 31 are designed to be at a sufficient distance from the inner ledges 28 and 29 of the trays to result in the overlapping effect. In the preferred embodiment, the longest dimension, l, of each of the trays is 18 inches, and the radius, r, of each semicircle is 9 inches. Openings 30 and 31 can be provided, e.g., 2 inches from their respective edges. This results in a 4 inch overlap of the two trays in the preferred embodiment and the desired space saving effect is achieved.

As seen in FIG. 3, the top tray 11 and bottom tray 12 are provided with inner ledges 28 and 29 having sufficient height to prevent the food, i.e. pizza, from falling off of the tray. The bottom surface 26 of bottom tray 12 has 3 dimples 32, 33, and 34 to provide an elevated, gentle resting surface for the serving tray in order to avoid such things as scratching of a table top or ripping of a table cloth.

An alternate embodiment of the multi-tiered space saving serving tray can be seen in FIGS. 5 and 6 and is designated by reference numeral 16. The alternate embodiment has two serving tray portions, 17 and 18, fixed at a distance substantially parallel to each other by a substantially continuous connector 19, containing a carrying opening 20.

Serving tray portions 17 and 18 have a semicircular shape to hold a large comestible on their respective upper surfaces 39 and 40. They are vertically connected by connector 19 resulting in the two trays being on different horizontal planes with respect to each other in a vertically overlapping relationship. Connector 19 is disposed at an acute angle with respect to the upper and lower tray portions 17 and 18 in order to achieve the desired overlapping effect which results in less space being occupied by the serving tray. Carrying opening 20 formed in solid connector 19 can be large enough so as to fit a human hand for the purposes to carrying the serving tray with the comestible on it and maintain stability so as not to drop the tray or dump the comestible.

FIG. 6 shows a cross sectional side view of the alternate embodiment as seen in FIG. 5. The angle of connector 19 can be clearly seen in FIG. 6 resulting in the two trays laying on different planes in a vertically overlapping relationship.

Thus, while there have been described what are presently believed to be the preferred embodiments of the invention, those skilled in the art will realize that changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is intended to claim all such changes and modifications as fall within the true scope of the invention. 

1 A serving tray for reducing planar space requirements comprising: a first planar tray portion having a carrying surface with a planar dimension sufficient to support at least a portion of a large planar-shaped comestible, at least a second planar tray portion having a carrying surface with a planar dimension sufficient to support a second portion of said large planar-shaped comestible, and a connecting member which fixes said first tray portion and said second tray portion at different planes with respect to each other in a vertically overlapping relationship; so that said tray can stably rest on a surface occupying less area than required by said comestible when served whole.
 2. A serving tray according to claim 1 wherein the planar trays are semicircular having a circumference with an arc subtended by a straight edge, each tray containing a lip along said straight edge.
 3. A serving tray according to claim 1 wherein the planar trays are fixed at a distance parallel to each other by a connecting shaft.
 4. A serving tray according to claim 3 wherein said connecting shaft is a cylindrical rod that is secured in a vertical position through openings in said planar trays.
 5. A serving tray according to claim 4 wherein said openings on the planar trays are located at a distance from the straight edge of said planar trays sufficient to result in a vertically overlapping relationship of the planar trays.
 6. A serving tray according to claim 1 wherein the planar trays are fixed at a distance parallel to each other by a substantially continuous connector.
 7. A serving trays according to claim 6 wherein said substantially continuous connector is designed on an angle, resulting in a vertically overlapping relationship of the planar trays.
 8. A serving tray according to claim 7 wherein said substantially continuous connector contains a carrying opening large enough to fit a human hand for the purpose of carrying the serving tray. 